A Gift of Wings
by TheShatteredRose
Summary: "This is my gift to you…" was the last thing Lyner remembers hearing before waking up to discover that he now possesses a pair of angel wings! What implications will it have on him, and those around him, now that he has wings? Ayatane/Lyner
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** A Gift of Wings

**Summary:** "This is my gift to you…" was the last thing Lyner remembers hearing before waking up to discover that he now possesses a pair of angel wings! What implications will it have on him, and those around him, now that he has wings?

**Pairings:** Ayatane/Lyner

**Warnings:** Yaoi and somewhat strays from the original story line.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing and make no profit from this whatsoever

**AN:** I'm super excited about this fic. It's my third attempt at a Cross Edge story and my third attempt at a multi-chaptered fic! I've decided to upload it here as this fandom seems pretty dead anyway, so I doubt I'll get any flames. Not that it would stop me from writing this, anyway.

If there is anyone reading this at all and are interested in my other stories, links can be found on my profile. You can either read them on my Livejournal account or at Wattpad. Either one.

Other than that, enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 1:<p>

_This is my gift to you…_

That was the last thing Lyner remembered hearing before his world went dark. A gentle voice reached out to him, a soothing grace touched him. He felt comfort, light and, surprisingly, a little bit of familiarity.

He remembered very little else, only glimpses of what had happened. There was a battle, a Soul needing rescue, a surprised back attack, pushing Ayatane out of the way, and the unconscious desire to protect as many as he could. Including the Soul.

The details, however, were rather sketchy, especially the way his head was now throbbing.

His body heavy with fatigued and pain, Lyner forced his eyes to open. His vision, at first, blurry and unfocused. All he could see was the colour brown of different shades and he immediately wondered where he was.

As he blinked his eyes in an attempt to focus, his mind reeled on the condition of his body. He was lying on his stomach, on some rather uneven ground. He felt tired, heavy, with a slight uncomfortable achiness. And his back; he was certain that something was on his back.

Other than that, he could feel no other injuries. No significant injuries at least.

His first coherent thought after that was whether or not Ayatane and the others were ok. He hoped they weren't injured in some way.

Slowly, he tested his limbs, curling his hands into fists before relaxing them again. He was making sure that he could still feel his legs and arms, which thankfully, he could.

Although his vision was still not completely back to normal, Lyner pushed himself up onto his knees with his arms, an unfamiliar weight seemingly shifting against his back. He chose to ignore it for now, having years of experience pushing aside pain and discomfort, and rested on the heels of his feet, immediately noticing that the armour that always adorned his arm was gone, the long sleeve of his clothing torn in random places. His armour must have been destroyed in that battle. A testament at how sudden and powerful that surprise attack was.

Looking at his surroundings, Lyner quickly deduced that he was in a cave of some kind. How did he get here? He remembered being outside, in a rocky terrane. Could the ground have collapsed underneath him?

Well, anything was possible in this world.

Lyner glanced quickly over his shoulder and had to do a double take. Over his right shoulder he saw something white, light and feathery. And it seemed to be attached to his back. He stared at it, unblinkingly.

A…wing?

Ok, that was definitely not there before!

Quickly, he looked over his other shoulder and was immediately greeted with another large what he could only describe was an angel wing. Large, white, shimmering feathers. Lyner timidly tested a wing, using his mind to move it; and it did. It did move.

Slowly, he stood up, not believing what he was seeing or feeling. He tried them again, this time spreading his wings out, stretching them to their full length. They were as longer than he was tall!

They weren't a prop or a practical joke; there were real. These wings were attached to him. No, a part of him.

_This is my gift to you…_

W-wings? The Soul had granted him wings?

Wha…? How…? Just what the hell happened here?

With his breath quickening, on the verge of hyperventilating, Lyner ordered himself to calm down, well as much as he could giving the circumstances. And his situation was this; he was separated from the others, trapped in a possible cave in, his armour was damaged beyond any use and his weapons were missing.

And, most importantly, he had two large angel wings on his back. Of which he could move with his mind.

…This world was undoubtedly strange!

Were they permanent? Would they interfere with his ability to fight? Can he actually use them? How were they…?

So many questions, none of which Lyner had an answer to.

"Ok," Lyner muttered to himself as he drew in a deep breath. "First thing first; I need to get out of here."

Wherever 'here' was.

His vision cleared significantly, Lyner pushed aside his blatant disbelief and shock of his newly acquired wings and studied his surroundings again. He knew he was in a cave of some kind, a cave in more likely, but it was dimly lit. Meaning, there was a source of light coming from somewhere. He had to find that source of light.

Taking a step forward, Lyner winced, a shiver racing down his spine, when one of his wings brushed against a sharp rock. He looked back at his wings again, subconsciously twitching one of them to remind himself that, yeah, they were still there and still very real.

Thinking as logically as he could, Lyner folded the wings back behind him, pulling them in closer to his body. He then began to walk once more, taking great care with his steps. Normally, when he walked, it was in haste and with a need to get something done as quickly as possible.

But now, he was being cautious. He didn't like that feeling he got when his wing brushed against the rocky walls. His new wings seemed to be rather sensitive. Was it because they were new to him? Or was it a permanent thing?

…He really should stop asking himself so many questions. The only one that mattered right now was how he was going to find Ayatane and join back with the others. And whether they were alright or not.

A noise suddenly caught Lyner's immediate attention.

Instinctively, Lyner stumbled backward, up against the rocky wall behind him, pressing himself into the shadows, biting back a winces when his wings twitching from pain. He couldn't locate his weapon, so he wasn't armed. And he was in no condition to deal with a monster attack.

He heard another noise, which sounded suspicious like his name being called. So, he strained his ears to listen.

"Lyner, can you hear me?"

That voice, it was Ayatane's. He was so relieved to hear his voice. It meant that he was ok, that he was able to push him out of the way of that surprise attack. Truly, it was such a relief to him.

"Where could he be?"

"Do you think he's alright?"

"I'm…sure he's fine. Probably a little worse for wear, but alive at least."

"That's not entirely reassuring…"

And a few of the others were with him. He could distinctly hear the voices of York, Miko, Lady Shurelia, May, Marie and Etna. They were looking for him, worriedly as the concern (Eh, Etna? Not so much…) was palpable in their voices. Lyner sighed with relief, his shoulders sagging, his wings relaxing.

He, however, winced soon afterwards. Yeah, his wings. What would the others say when they saw them?

Would they even be able to see them? Maybe he was the only who could?

The voices were drawing nearer, although still not within sight. They weren't far away.

"Ayatane!" Lyner called back, his voice echoing through the cavern.

Suddenly, the shuffling of footsteps stopped and Lyner was pretty sure that everyone was holding their breathes, probably hoping they weren't hearing things.

"Lyner?" There was Ayatane's voice again, unsure but hopeful at the same time. "Where are you?"

"Ah, ahead of you," Lyner replied, trying to estimate where the voices were in fact coming from. It was hard to tell with all the echoing. "I think."

"Are you alright?" Ayatane asked him, concern heavy in his voice.

Lyner licked his lips nervously, completely unsure how to answer that. "I…I don't know?"

His response only made them move quicker and Lyner flinched at making them worry about him even more. But, it was the truth. He wasn't sure what had happened to him, or rather what was happening to him.

"Lyner?"

Much closer now. Right around a corner it seemed.

"Over here!"

The very second they came into sight, Ayatane's gaze immediately collided with his own, his usually gentle eyes filled with worry and concern. He paused, the others nearly running into the back of him as the two of them stared at each other for a moment. Lyner was certain that Ayatane couldn't see his wings, not yet, as he was half hidden in shadows.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Ayatane all but demanded to know as he moved closer to him.

Swallowing down the trepidation that was building, Lyner slowly stepped out from the shadows toward his 'family' members, toward Ayatane. He could feel his wings as they floated behind him, unfurling from his back. They didn't feel heavy, thank goodness as it would be hard to fight with something big _and_ heavy on his back. But they were bulky and would take some time to get used to.

Not looking at anyone but Ayatane, Lyner watched as Ayatane's eyes immediately widen in complete and utter shock. And he heard the gasps and sharp intakes of air from the others, but all he could look at was into Ayatane's eyes.

Feeling decidedly self-conscious, Lyner folded his arms over his torso, his wings twitching at his back.

"L-Lyner?" Ayatane stuttered. "What…?"

"I, ah, woke up with them," Lyner said, subconsciously twitching his wings again, the very tips brushing against the dusty ground.

"W-wings?" someone spluttered, Lyner wasn't sure who.

"Yeah…A gift from a Soul, I think?"

"A Soul?" May repeated with a whisper. "How?"

If Lyner knew the answer to that he would tell them.

"They can't be real," Etna stated in a rather firm voice.

Etna suddenly moved forward and grabbed one of his wings in a harsh and painful grip, twisting the feather in her fingers as if to prove they were either an illusion or completely fake.

But Lyner screamed.

It wasn't a yelp of surprise or discomfort, but a scream of pain. Squeezing his eyes shut, Lyner wrapped his arms around his torso as he curled up into himself, his wings immediately folding around him. He stumbled backwards, Etna having released her grip on his wing the moment he screamed, clearly shocked by his reaction, as was everyone else.

"Lyner!"

Ayatane immediately made his way over to Lyner, standing before him and placing his hands on his shoulders. His brow drew together in concern when he felt Lyner's body tremble under his grip. Ayatane moved his hands down Lyner's arm to his elbows in an attempt to help Lyner stay on his feet, feeling him swaying a little from the pain.

"What did you do?" Ayatane immediately hissed at Etna, standing protectively in front of Lyner.

"I didn't do anything!" Etna insisted. "I just touched his wing and…"

"D-don't," Lyner managed to say around a hiss of pain that seemed to consuming him whole. "Don't touch my wings, please."

"His wings appear to be very sensitive," Lady Shurelia said. "It would be best not to touch them."

That was kinda stating the obvious.

Gah, the pain…It was unlike anything he had felt before. It was hot and jagged, seeming coursing through every fibre of his being.

"Lyner?" Ayatane prompted, his grip tightening on Lyner.

The leader and knight part of Lyner's personality wanted to tell Ayatane and the others that he was going to be alright, that he wasn't in much pain. Reassure them that there was nothing to worry about. But…

"…I think I'm going to pass out," he muttered, his vision fading at a frightening rate.

And after that, everything went black again.

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><p>Well, that was the first chapter. I would love to hear any comments, but no flames, please.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

His head was throbbing again as he managed to wade himself through the comforting darkness, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep.

However, he was ripped from his peaceful slumber when a jolt of pain shuddered through his body. Lyner felt a scream rip from his throat, pain racing up his spine like the heated lightening he wielded in battle. His body convulsed before he abruptly curled into himself again, moving into the foetal position.

"I'm sorry!" a feminine voice suddenly yelled, exceptionally apologetic. "I didn't mean to touch your wings! I'm sorry!"

Gritting his teeth as his body trembled from the last remnants of pain, Lyner forced his eyes open. He was on a bed, lying on his side, back in what he assumed was their main camp site. He could see a few empty potion bottles littered around the make-shift 'room'.

Despite his body trembling slightly, Lyner managed to force a small smile of reassurance onto his lips as he looked over his shoulder to Marie, who was standing a couple of feet again, her hands grasping onto a bottle of something against her chest.

"Not your fault," he said.

Marie perked up a little at that and timidly shuffled forward. "Did I wake you?"

"Kinda," Lyner replied, sighing softly as the pain slowly began to subside.

Suddenly, the door to the tent flew open and there stood Ayatane, again his face creased into an expression of concern. "I heard a scream," he said as he stepped inside, immediately making his way over to Lyner's side. His expression lightened, however, when he noticed that Lyner was awake. "Lyner?"

"Hey," Lyner muttered as he managed to push himself into a sitting position, his wings flexing out to the side of him, the tips touching the floor.

"How are you feeling?" Marie asked him.

"A little shaky," Lyner answered honestly, his hands resting by his sides, his legs bending at the knees to fold up toward his chest. "But I'll be ok."

"We'll see about that," Ayatane said, moving to take a seat by Lyner's bedside, Lyner feeling a little bit better being in his presence.

"Drink this," Marie said as she pushed a bottle toward him.

Lyner felt slight trepidation about the bottle, but before he could make an attempt to take it, Ayatane did instead, taking it from Marie's hand and holding onto it.

"I'll go tell the others," Marie then said. "They're really worried about you."

Before Lyner had the chance to say anything, she was gone. Immediately after that, he could have sworn he heard her yell; "He's awake!"

Feeling guilty about all the worry he put everyone through, Lyner turned his attention back to Ayatane, who in turn seemed to be looking at his wings.

"Ah, they don't feel heavy," Lyner said in what he hoped was a convincing and reassuring tone, even going so far as to move one of his wings as proof, which he noted mildly, was becoming easier. "And, well, they don't feel painful. Unless you touch them, of course…"

"Are you sure?" Ayatane asked him, still not rightly convinced. "You don't remember how you-?"

"All I remember is a voice," Lyner said with a sigh, shaking his head slightly in disappointment. He opened his eyes a moment later and gave his best friend a curious look. "Ayatane? What happened after I, you know, passed out?"

The flicker of concern that appeared in Ayatane's eyes almost made Lyner not want to know, but, Ayatane told him anyway, almost as if he was giving him a brief information report.

After he promptly collapsed into Ayatane's arms, everyone else pretty much went into panic mode. Ayatane carried him out of the cave, the others ensuring that nothing comes into contact with his wings. They stumbled back to camp, immediately gaining everyone's attention (which was hard not too with these large white wings). He was then bundled into a tent, Ayatane placing him onto a bed. They were cautious about touching him, not wanting to cause him anymore pain, so they tried to make him as comfortable as possible, opting to wait until he woke up.

And all that happened half a day ago.

"Sorry," Lyner muttered with an air of embarrassment, a light blush marring his cheeks when he replayed the fact that he collapsed into Ayatane's arms and then Ayatane carried him. How had he managed to do that, giving the bulkiness of these wings?

"I didn't mean to cause everyone so much trouble."

A small smile twitched upon Ayatane's lips, as if expecting him to say that. "You could hardly help that, now could you?"

"I suppose…"

He still felt guilty about it. He wanted to apologise again, but remained silent as truly, there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. He didn't ask for these wings, they were given to him.

Ayatane's hand suddenly moved over his, the armour that usually adorned his arms, gone. Lyner looked down at their hands, noting the way that Ayatane's hand covered his before looking up into Ayatane's eyes, tilting his head a little to the side in curiosity. Not once did he make an attempt to pull his hand away from Ayatane's.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ayatane asked him.

Lyner smiled, softly and easily, as he shifted the hand that Ayatane was holding just a little bit, enough so that they fingers could interlock. "I'm fine now, really. I'm sorry for worrying you, most of all."

"These wings-?"

"I'll get used to them," Lyner stated firmly, and in that moment, he truly meant it. And, well, he had to. They were just something else he had to adapt to.

Ayatane smiled that gentle smile of his, quirking his head to the side. "They suit you," he said in a complimentary tone.

Lyner blushed lightly at that for whatever reason. "Ah, you think so?"

They lapsed into a somewhat comfortable silence after that, their hands still entwined together, looking into each other's eyes. The comfortable silence was soon broken, however, by the appearance of several members of their make-shift family, particularly those who had been there when he collapsed. But Aurica, Misha and Lady Shurelia were the head of the group.

Lyner jumped slightly at the mass intrusion, he and Ayatane's releasing their grip on each other's hand, Lyner feeling a fleeting sense of disappointment as they did so. But he had little time to dwell on it.

What followed after that was about ten minutes of repeated questions like if he was ok, how he got his wings, how they felt, and whether or not he was really alright. All of them were crowded around his bed, Ayatane slipping to the back to allow them to show their concern, but keeping his presence known all the same in case they get too enthusiastic in their relief.

It took Lyner (who was inwardly flailing at being the centre of attention) another five minutes to calm everyone down, reassure them that he currently wasn't in any pain, and no, he had no idea how he got them or why.

"So, your wings, are they really that painful?" Lady Shurelia asked him.

Lyner felt his wings twitch slightly, as if in memory of the pain he had experienced. "Yeah…"

"It would have had to have been to make him scream out like he did," Miko pointed out.

Again, Lyner grimaced with guilt. He didn't remember hearing himself scream, but he did remember the feeling of it escaping his throat. It was an odd feeling.

"Do you think they're always going to be highly sensitive, or will they settle down with time?" Misha asked, the question not just directed to Lyner, but to everyone. Maybe someone had dealt with a situation like this before?

"Haven't a clue."

Not with his luck, it seemed.

"I'll get Etna to apologise for grabbing your wings, Lyner," Meu promised, giving him a reassuring nod.

And Lyner simply gave her a small smile, knowing the chances of Etna apologising for anything was very slim. Even if she did apologise, it would forced and fake, hardly sincere.

"Do you have another shirt I could wear?" Lyner suddenly asked, feeling somewhat awkward as he felt as if the question was out of the blue. But he tugged at his shirt nonetheless. "This feels really uncomfortable for some reason."

The girls of the group looked thoughtful for a moment, all looking at each other in question. Aurica, however, spoke up after a moment.

"We could easily make you something," she said. "But we should probably cut out holes for your wings."

Yeah, they probably should.

"It might prove to be painful for you putting it on, though," Misha said, eyeing off his wings critically. They were rather large, after all.

Lyner had thought about that. Subconsciously, he reached up and gently touched the white feathers with his fingertips. And he was surprised, not only by how silky soft they felt, but from the lack of burning pain that he had expected. Absentmindedly he pinched a feather between his forefinger and his thumb, again noting that it didn't hurt.

"Well, for some reason, they don't seem to hurt when I touch them," Lyner said, sounding rather surprised by that, yet relieved as well. "So, I guess that means if I dress myself, it shouldn't hurt."

"Well, we'll work on something right away!" Meu said with growing enthusiasm, grabbing Marie by the arm. "We won't be a moment."

Then they were gone, Aurica following them out in hopes of being able to help.

Lyner watched them as they left, as did the others, before he found himself the centre of attention once more. May approached him to stand beside his bed, the little girl looking at him with a remorseful expression.

"You said a Soul did this?" she asked him, her eyes darting over to his wings.

"It's only an assumption," Lyner said to her. "I remember hearing a voice, something about saying this was a gift. I don't remember anything else after that. There was a Soul, wasn't there? When we were attacked, right?"

"There was one," York spoke up. "But we don't know where it went."

"You didn't release it, May?"

"I couldn't get near it," May said softly.

"There was this enormous explosion," Miko began to explain. "The ground began to cave in. Suddenly, you and the Soul were gone. We were so worried! Especially Ayatane. We immediately began looking for you."

"This has never happened before," May murmured, seemingly to herself more so than anyone else. "I don't know what this means. Souls give gifts, but they're always potions or items, or something. Never like this."

Lyner managed to withhold an exasperated sigh. These things always seemed to happen to him…

"Why are you acting like this is your fault?" Lyner suddenly asked May, tilting his head to the side in confusion and curiosity. May fidgeted under his gaze, wringing her hands in front of her.

"But…I," May was about to protest, probably something along the lines of dragging him into this mess against his will. Or some nonsense like that. Lyner would have none of it.

"Listen," he said, reaching up a hand and placing it on the top of her head, his expression gentle and understanding. "You had nothing to do with this. If a Soul did give me these wings, then surely there was a reason for it. Besides, I'm alive, aren't I? That's all that matters now. So, don't go beating yourself up for something you had no control over, ok?"

May was silent at first, as was everyone else. He had expected them to chime in, but perhaps they had already tried, so it was left to Lyner to reassure her of that? Slowly, May reached up and grasped at Lyner's wrist, lowering his hand from her head where she nodded slowly.

"Ok," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'll try."

"See?" Miko said as she stepped up behind May, placing her hands on her shoulders in a reassuring manner. "I told you Lyner wouldn't be mad at you. He's Lyner, after all."

The mood seemed to lighten after that.

Suddenly, the flap of the tent blew open and Marie skidded in, gaining everyone's attention.

"Here!" Marie said with a sense of personal triumph. "This is made from special material that should stretch, move and meld to your body. The slits in the back should easily accommodate for your wings."

Lyner looked at the offered article of clothing, in awe of the girls' craftsmanship. It was a long, blue vest like garment that was sleeveless. On the back was two vertical slits which would, hopefully, stretch to fit around his wings, like Marie said it would. They pulled it together so quickly!

"Ah, thank you!" he said with sincerity as he carefully took the clothing from them.

"I also brought these," Aurcia said as she presented Lyner with a pair of scissors. "It might help in removing your old clothes."

Lyner gave her a grateful smile as he took the silver scissors from her as well. He placed the two items carefully onto the bed as he pushed away the blankets. He needed to get up to do this and moving off of the bed may prove tricky as he didn't want to accidentally bump his wings. He wouldn't allow himself to struggle with this problem, however. Not after reassuring May that everything was fine.

Folding his wings behind him, Lyner managed to swing his legs over the edge of the bed and stand up, everyone stepping back to give him enough room. He rolled his shoulders a couple of times; removing the kinks he got from his impromptu nap.

Now, it was time to put on his new shirt. This was going to be fun.

"Ah…Could you girls step out, please?" Lyner asked them. He wasn't all that fond of flashing to much skin, especially in front of female company. He had been raised to be respectful and polite, after all.

And, thankfully, they agreed. Everyone was ushered out, York saying something about giving the guy some privacy, but Ayatane lingered. And Lyner knew why. Still, he felt that he had to ask.

"Ayatane? Could you give me a hand?"

"Of course," was Ayatane's immediate response.

He picked up the scissors and began to carefully cut away at Lyner's old shirt, being incredibly gentle and mindful not to cause him further harm. And Lyner kept as still as he could, simply allowing Ayatane to help him. In a way, he felt as if Ayatane was tending to him, fussing over him. And, well, he kinda liked it.

Finally, the shirt was cut away. Lyner sighed softly, feeling no longer restricted. He rolled his shoulders again and flexed his shoulders, causing his wings to loosen and shift by doing so. Lifting his arms up over his head, Lyner stretched, arching his back, again feeling his wings respond to his movement.

Ayatane remained silent through it all, but Lyner could feel his gaze on him.

"They really are a part of you," Ayatane murmured, his fingertips barely touching the skin of Lyner's back, between his shoulder blades. It was a feather like touch, so soft, and yet Lyner felt it intensely.

His eyes widening, Lyner shivered at the touch, though it most certainly wasn't from pain. It was something else.

…Delight? Nah, that couldn't be it, surely.

"Sorry," Ayatane said as he abruptly pulled his hand away, fearing that he had caused Lyner pain.

"No, it's alright," Lyner quickly reassured him, turning to look and smile at him. "You…your fingers were just a little bit cold. It startled me."

The corner of Ayatane's mouth twitched into a half smile. "I see."

Ok, now came the hard part; putting the actual shirt on.

"Let's try your wings first," Ayatane suggested as if he had somehow read his mind. "Putting your arms through the sleeves should be the easy part."

"Right," Lyner said, turning to present his back to Ayatane again. He unfurled his wings from his back, concentrating on keeping them straight. With their length, he wouldn't be able to tug the shirt on himself, so Ayatane had to be the one to do it for him.

"Is it hurting?" Ayatane asked him, slowly moving the shirt over his wings.

"A little," Lyner managed to mutter through gritted teeth. "But keep going; I can handle it."

He had never felt more relieved than to feel the soft material of the shirt grace his shoulders and back. He literally sighed with relief.

"I hope they won't always be this sensitive," Lyner muttered as he slipped his arms through the sleeves of the vest, pulling it over his chest and doing up the zipper at the front. He felt better now being covered up.

Still, how was he going to deal with having wings now? Saying it was one thing, actually going along with it was another.

However, Lyner couldn't help but think about the more important question; why did he have wings in the first place? Why did the Soul feel that he wanted or needed them?

And why did they feel so damn natural?


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** No one is reading this, but what the hey? I'll upload another chapter anyway :3

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><p>Chapter 3:<p>

Two days have passed since he had awoken to a pair of wings on his back, and Lyner still wasn't used to them. Nor was he entirely used to his new outfit that the girls had made for him; a long, blue vest like garment that had a long zipper at the front, ending at his collar bone. He was totally not used to walking around without the heavy weight of his armour across his shoulders and down his left arm.

And he most certainly wasn't used to being the centre object of everyone's curious gazes. While some of the group tried hard not to out-right stare at him, others were overly blatant. Not that Lyner could blame them, of course. Had it happen to anyone else, he was pretty sure that he would stare as well.

Fortunately, though, there were a few who took to the fact that he had wings better than others. Felicia and Lillian thought they looked 'pretty' on him, while Aurica admitted that they seem to rather suit him.

Funny, Ayatane said the exact same thing.

Lyner was still surprised by how light the wings felt on his back, he even forgot that they were there during some moments. But he was quickly reminded again whenever he accidentally brushed against something. Although, the pain wasn't nearly as excoriating as before, it still bloody well hurt.

While the wings themselves felt, well, natural against his back, shimmering against the caressing breeze, he wasn't used to having them around. If that made any sense. The wings were pretty; there was no point in arguing about that.

But they were big, bulky and cumbersome. He couldn't sleep on his back, couldn't sit down on the ground and he couldn't turn around quickly without the fear of smacking someone with his wings, making him cry out in pain and surprise before curling away from them. He scared the hell out of Prinny after the blue penguin bumped into him by yelping loudly and kicking him away.

He felt bad about that, but York and the others reassured him that Prinny asked for it. Etna outright laughed at his reaction, telling him that he was lucky he didn't try that on her. She still hadn't apologised about grabbing his wing, even with Meu's obvious prodding.

Not that it surprised him at all.

Lyner had finally been allowed to walk around their campsite with the promise of taking it easy, Ayatane promising Miko and Marie that he would ensure that he did just that. Lyner had wanted to get up the moment he woke, to take some time getting used to his new appendages, without everyone fussing over him. The sooner he got used to them, the better. There was no point in moping around about it.

Ayatane had hardly left his side, watching over him with a gentle but protective gaze. Screaming and suddenly collapsing into his arms must have frightened him more than he was willing to say.

Currently, though, Ayatane had been called away by Lady Shurelia, asking him if he could do something for her, so Lyner was left to his own devices. Which wasn't good for someone who preferred to be actually doing something useful.

"How do you put up with having wings?" Lyner abruptly asked Morgan, throwing a glance over his shoulder toward his own, a frown aborning his lips.

Morgan laughed sensually, as she usually did, at his question and turned her gaze to his wings as well. "My wings aren't nearly as large as yours," she said as her black, bat like wings shifted behind her. "And I was born with these, so there was nothing for me to get used to."

Yeah, that made sense.

Lyner sighed, flexing his wings behind him with little effort, enjoying the gentle breeze caressing the feathers. "They're going to take some time getting used to," he muttered. "I just wish I could be of use to everyone again."

Since gaining his wings, the others have refused to allow him to participate in any battles of any kind. The sensitively of his wings were a big issue. That and they didn't want their enemies to find out about them as well. Who knows what they would think or try to do?

Boaud, especially.

"You've only had them for a few days, sweetie," Morgan said, noting his disgruntlement. "You can't expect to use them straight away."

Lyner understood that, he truly did. Like how baby birds couldn't fly straight away, despite being born with their wings. He had to be patient. But sitting still had never sat well with him.

"With wings this large, however, it wouldn't be at all hard for you to fly," Morgan said after a moment of silence.

Lyner was silent. Fly? Was that really a good idea? True, he had thought about it, but they were rather sensitive; it might hurt.

Then again, he'd never know unless he tried, right?

"Are you perhaps suggesting that you could teach me to fly?" Lyner asked, sounding surprisingly hopeful at the thought.

"Maybe when you get a little stronger," Morgan replied as she folded her arms under her bust. "I think Ayatane will have a heart attack if you try to fly now."

Lyner tried to hide a wince of guilt. Ayatane was probably the one who was the most concern about him, although he disguised it well. He wasn't blatant or obvious with his concern like the girls were, but Lyner could tell that he worried constantly about him.

"You're right," Lyner said, his wings drooping like his shoulders and his eyes were downcast. "I don't want to make him more worried than he already is."

He hated causing Ayatane any trouble.

"You and Ayatane are very close, aren't you?" Morgan commented, bringing a smile to Lyner's face, his wings subconsciously perking up.

"Yeah, we've been best friends for years," he said rather fondly. "He's always worrying about me."

Morgan suddenly laughed again, this time with a sense of knowing. "I think there's more than just friendly concern there."

Lyner blinked. "What do you mean?"

"There's something else," Morgan continued. "Something more…_sensual_."

For whatever reason, Lyner found himself blushing at that. The way she said it, well, ah…Everything was so _sexual_ with her. Ok, it was because she was a succubus, but, really…

"W-what?"

"You're so cute," Morgan cooed, after she had a chuckle at his expense, mind you, leaning forward to get well into his personal space. "You really can't see it?"

"T-there's nothing to see," Lyner insisted as he took a couple of steps backwards, his shoulders stiffening and his wings becoming tense. "Really. I mean…"

Morgan continued to find great amusement in his reactions. "You're not convincing me at all, sweetie."

Lyner had no response to that. Just what was she truly getting at? He and Ayatane had been friends for years, partners, had fought side by side. There was no one he trusted more to be by his side, to help him through anything. But Ayatane was a friend, really!

"Well, it's none of my business," Morgan said after a moment, shrugging casually. "I just think you'll be good together."

Lyner's shoulders slumped with defeat, his wings suddenly feeling heavy. He couldn't deny it. The reason why he was so indecisive about love was, well, because he wanted what he shouldn't and couldn't have. He and Ayatane had been through a lot together, been side by side since childhood. There were countless times when Lyner remembers sneaking away from his father so he could stay at Ayatane's place with his adopted mother.

He was comfortable around Ayatane, as though he was all that mattered to him. He wanted to fall in love with someone because they loved him back, not because it was expected to happen. He was always protecting and guarding, running around and doing everything for everyone else, all he really wanted was freedom to be himself, to feel that it was ok to think about himself for once.

And he felt all that with Ayatane.

"…I can't," he said after a moment, shaking his head. No, he had responsibilities and duties to fulfil, and that meant choosing either Aurica, Misha and even Lady Shurelia to be his partner and wife. He wasn't allowed to be selfish. "The others…"

"Sometimes we have to do things for ourselves," Morgan chided in, sounding understanding and, surprisingly, a little bit motherly. "Being honest is better than being deceitful, don't you agree?"

"But…" The girls would be devastated if he told them that he saw them only as sisters. He didn't want to hurt their feelings; they've been through so much as well.

"Surely, it's time to do something for yourself?" Morgan continued to speak. "There's no harm in that. Besides, you're not in your world anymore. You're free of your responsibilities and what is expected of you. I think this is a great time for you, for everyone, to really think about what they truly want and desire."

Lyner folded his arms over his torso, giving Morgan a forced smile. "…I guess you're right."

Even if that was all true, it didn't mean that Ayatane felt the same way. He probably saw him as a friend, like a troublesome brother whom he had to get out of trouble constantly. He had no right to force his feelings upon him like that, especially not at the risk of losing their strong friendship altogether.

It was fine. Really. As long as they remain friends, Lyner could deal with his inappropriate feelings being onesided. Ayatane will never know. He won't have to be burdened with that.

"Lyner?" The sound of Ayatane's voice pulled Lyner out of his thoughts quickly, actually making him jump subtly in surprise. Lyner turned his attention to his left, his sight immediately filled with the very object of his thoughts, his expressive eyes once again looking at him in concern. "Something wrong?"

"N-no, it's nothing," Lyner immediately insisted, straightening his posture on reflex. "I'm just thinking."

Morgan made a humming noise before turning to take her leave, her wings fanning out behind her. "I'll leave the two of you alone," she said before she flapped her wings and took off into the sky.

His brow furrowing ever so slightly, Ayatane watched as Morgan disappeared from sight before turning his attention back to Lyner. Again, the concern was obvious. "…Did something happen?"

"Ah, no, not really," Lyner said, his hand moving to rub the back of his neck in a display of discomfort and embarrassment, a half smile on his lips. "It's just…Heh, Morgan thinks it's time I do something for myself for once. Funny, huh?"

Ayatane was silent at first, his gaze seemingly looking right through him before a small smile made its way onto his lips. "I think she might be right."

Lyner opted to make no response to that. There was nothing for him to say, really; other than admitting that he didn't know _how_ to do something just for himself.

…This world was truly proving to be quite bothersome.


End file.
